Vampire of the Opera
by GypsyReaper
Summary: In a AU, what's left of the Hellsing Organization is stationed in what they believe to be a haunted opera house, but it's not ghosts they need to worry about, but the lonely vampire living right under them! Alucard X Anderson eventually .
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: "Insomnia Again?"

_Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation.  
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination.  
Silently the senses abandon their defenses_

Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendour.  
Grasp it, sense it tremulous and tender.  
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,  
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light -  
and listen to the music of the night...

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!  
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before!  
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!  
And you'll live as you've never lived before...

Jade eyes slowly opened, the sleeping occupant dragged forward to consciousness by the strange words weaving themselves in and out of his slumber. The lyrics-for that was what the man realized them to be-where already quietly echoing into non-existence, but even as he continued to wake, he could still hear their haunting melody all around him.

"Another dream?" the man asked with a mumble. With a grunt he sat up, swinging his long legs over the edge of the bed, bare feet hitting the old scratched wooden floor. His only clothing was a pair of pajama bottoms and a silver cross hanging from his neck. A hand ran through his spiked blonde hair while the other covered an enormous yawn that escaped him. He reached to table beside his bed and grabbed his circular, wire-framed glasses and slipped them on. Turning the dusty clock to himself, he saw the early hour and groaned. He could already tell he wouldn't be able to return to sleep tonight.

Despite his 6'7, 230 lb muscled frame, he moved with barely a whisper out of his room, down the corridor, and to the stairs that led to the roof. The rotting planks groaned and complained under him, but didn't break. With a small click, the door opened to a cool breeze and a thousand glittering stars over him. The cool morning was refreshing, and he welcomed the goose bumps that quickly covered his arms and chest. Where the cross rested alone seemed to be warm, an unsubtle personification of his faith.

Crossing the roof that held traces of fire, old age, and general violence, the man kept his eyes trained on the clear night sky above him. He came to a part of the ledge that was crumbling and perched on one of the large bricks, getting as comfortable as possible while he pondered the strange music that had woken him up. It was a beautiful melody, a haunting lullaby that he hadn't heard before, and decided that it liked it more than the other songs he had been "hearing," for so long. For a long time, years maybe, he heard such songs in his sleep, and he wondered how his mind had come up with them, he not having any musical talent. Of course it had been only one of many dreams; nobody was wandering around in the dead of night singing opera. Or so he thought.

"Insomnia again, Alex?" asked a quiet voice. The man, Father Alexander Anderson, jumped up, ready to kill whomever had snuck up on him, but when he saw the woman with piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair, standing cross-armed behind him with a small grin on her face, he relaxed and grinned.

"Ah could ask th' same thin', couldn' Ah, Integra?" he asked, the heavy brogue in his voice sometimes making him impossible to understand. Very few people could surprise him; Sir Integra, his commander, was one of them.

Integra chuckled. Everyone knew that she hardly ever slept, a hour or two at most a night. Mostly, she stood guard over her people as they rested. It was no exaggeration that everyone slept more soundly at that thought.

"Well, since you're already up, I need you to go out for a while," she spoke quickly, her British accent clipped and enunciation exact. She was a woman who was used to giving orders and having them followed immediately; even though she only reached his shoulder, Alex bowed and asked politely, "An' whit am Ah goin' oot fer?"

"There's a rumor that there's a den of vampires in a small town about a hundred thirty kilometers from here. I want you to look into it."

Anderson raised an eyebrow. "Ah haven' heard the words 'den' o' 'vampires' in the same sentence in far too ling. But rumor?"

Integra's grin returned. "There's so few of them, that any information we hear is treated as factual. This might even by the last den in all of Europe."

"Tha'd make me job ae lil' more borin', but Ah'd still be glad o' the news," Anderson said, kissing his cross. "When am Ah ae leavin'?"

Integra chuckled again. "As soon as I wake the pilots up."

"Well, if that's goin' to take a moment, can Ah go to th' dorms before Ah leave?"

"Of course," Integra said, face growing serious. "But, you do realize, she has to grow up sometime. She's not going to remain a child forever, Alexander."

The former priest stood for a moment looking off into the distance, a barely perceivable line of light on the horizon. "Ah know tha'," he said quietly. "Bu', she's still ae chil' in me eyes, and Ah can't leave withoot a goo'bye."

"Then say your goodbyes quickly," Integra said before turning around, walking back to the door, boots thudding on the wood. She paused at the door, and he couldn't help but look her over. A white shirt with long sleeves was tucked into a pair of brown pants that she tucked into her shin high boots. Though very plain, the casual clothes suited her perfectly, although they would probably be replaced by the man's suit she usually wore during the day.

A different time, and he might have considered her wife material, but he knew that she would balk at such a suggestion. Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing was a woman with a mission, to rid the world of any paranormal threat to crown and country, and her Hellsing Organization was the tool she wielded. Just getting her to show any emotion was a task in itself, but she seemed to "loosen up" when around Alex, her right hand man and number one monster hunter.

She paused, looking at him for a moment before a small grin danced on her lips. "Remember to be careful, Alexander. I don't need agents coming back without any arms, understand?"

Anderson sighed. "Ah'll make sure no' to burden ya like tha' again," he said with a mixture of embarrassment and sarcasm. The last time he had encountered vampires, one had been wielding a nasty handgun that, with a bullet each, taken his arms clean off. Being a human Regenerator, however, allowed him to regrow his arms and survive.

Integra nodded once and disappeared down the dark stairway. Taking in a big breath of fresh air, Alex blew it out, said a quiet prayer, and went to his room to get dressed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: "Seras"

The vampires responsible for the two bodies lying on the blood-stained floor of the small home where long gone when Anderson arrived. Taking in the dismal sight, he said prayers for the deceased and sprinkled their bodies with holy water. As he walked through the dark house, dark in more ways than one after such a tragedy, he heard a quiet noise in a hall closet. Drawing one of his blessed bayonets, he wrenched open the door to find a little girl of eight or nine curled up and whimpering to herself. Her crying intensified when she peeked to see a giant with a giant knife looming over her, but he quickly resheathed his sword and crouched down beside her.

"Are ya hurt?" he asked her quietly, soothingly. He had been the man in charge of an orphanage back in Rome, so he could work with children, but this poor little girl had watched, or at least heard, the slaughter of her whole family. So when she cringed away from his extended arm, he could understand her fear.

"Ah'm not goin' hurt ya, little darlin'," he promised. "Ah wanna help ya."

Her sniffles lessened slightly. "Can...can you help Mummy and Daddy?" she asked quietly. He glanced at the bodies, both under sheets he had found. "Ah've helped 'em as much as Ah can," he said. He opened his long arms toward her. "Come 'ere. Ah'll take you somewhere safe. You can be with other chil'ren, and when ya get older..."

"When I get older...what?" she asked, glancing at the big man.

He grinned, just a little insanely, but this didn't frighten the child at all. "Ya can get back at the monsters that did this, tha's whit," he said.

"P-promise?" she asked.

"Promise."

This seemed to satisfy the little girl, who had stopped crying, and walked into the priest's arms. The big arms were comforting, and his voice was soothing. She actually fell asleep within moments of him leaving the house, her tattered nightgown flapping in the night breeze.

When Anderson walked over the hill Integra was waiting with a car, soldiers milling around the area. They had caught the two vampires and dealt with them, if the two piles of ash where any indication.

"That took far too long for taking a simple look around," Integra said, until she caught the small form in his arms. "Is she a survivor?"

"Th' only one," Anderson said. "Parent's were killed; Ah left the bodies at the 'ouse for you to take care of."

It was now the little girl woke up. Her cerulean eyes gazed at the woman peering at her, and she snuggled closer into Anderson's chest. The big man chuckled. "Looks like ya scarin' her."

Integra smiled. "Smart girl. What's your name?"

"Seras. Seras Victoria, ma'm," the little girl said timidly. Integra, however, was looking at the girl curiously, before she sighed heavily. "What's wrong?" both Seras and Anderson asked at once, then looked at each other.

"You were wrong. There weren't any survivors, Alexander," Integra said heavily. Anderson looked at the little girl confusedly for a moment. "Can ya give me a great, big smile, darlin'?" he asked.

Just as confused, Seras complied, grinning as widely as possible, clearly showing off what Anderson was hoping to not see: incisors that, though small, were clearly too long to be human. He looked closely at her gown but could not see any bite marks on her body. There was no blood on her anywhere, and she hadn't tried to bite him.

"No bites," he said. "But then, how...?"

"Maybe it's genetic," Integra said. "One of her parents, maybe...Either way, we're right back where we started!"

"Either way, I'll...take care of it," Anderson said, heavily, putting the little girl down on the ground, but still holding her hand. Seras looked between them, clearly not understanding that anything was wrong.

It's not fair for such a sweet little girl to have to burn in the flames of Hell for her parent's trespasses, Anderson thought. Though he didn't want to, he couldn't let her live, not if she was one of them...

Before he could lead her off to a bush or something so nobody would have to watch, Seras dropped her hand and began poking her small body. "Am I broken?" she asked, looking up at Integra.

Integra looked at her, the corners of her lips tugging up in a small smile. "No, you're not broken." She looked at Anderson when she said it. "Bring her with us. If she becomes a problem, I'll take care of her." Integra looked at Seras and crouched low beside her. "Let's go home. All of us, alright?"

Seras nodded, and climbed back into the stunned Anderson's arms. Even though everything in his mind was screaming for her death, he couldn't help but smile at her cheerful grin, extra sharp canines or not.

That same girl was now, ten years later, a young woman spread-eagled across her bed, arms and legs entangled in her bed sheets, snoring softly as a line of droll gathered on her pillow. Alex smiled and sat on the edge of her bed, a hand gently brushing a strawberry-blonde strand of hair from her face. She turned her face away and muttered, "Eh, Pip, go away..."

Anderson raised an eyebrow at that. "Someone comes to ya in the middle of the night, an' th' first name ya utter is 'Pip'?"

"Wha-? Alex, what're you doing here...God, it's not even five in the morning, yet!" Seras muttered sleepily, sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She didn't say anything about her mistake, either because she didn't want to talk about it, or she had forgotten.

"Calm down," Anderson said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ah'm leavin' this morn', an' Ah jis wanted ta let ya know, 'tis all."

"If that's all you wanted to do, why couldn't you just leave a note?" Seras asked, with a big yawn proving her point.

Anderson smiled sadly. "Sorry. Ah guess Ah still remember how mad you'd get iffen Ah didn't tell ya."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Alex," she said, not appreciating a trip down memory lane that early in the morning. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"There may be a den 'o vamps ae ways from 'ere-"

"Wait, do I need to come?" Seras asked, suddenly awake at the thought of violence and blood. "Just wait and I'll-"

"No, no, you're not coming," Anderson said firmly, a hand on her shoulder to keep her from bounding out of bed and getting dressed. She's gotten so excited once at the thought of a mission that she started undressing immediately-and he was still in the room. He thought of her like a younger sister, or a daughter; he didn't want a repeat show.

"But a den of freaks can be turn pretty nasty-" Seras began worriedly. She was probably remembering the last time he had come home.

"Ah'll be fine, but you're stayin' 'ere," he said.

Seras crossed her arms, sea-blue eyes fiery. "You don't want me to come 'cause I might get hurt. What do you think I do when your not here? Sir Integra doesn't have me do the laundry! Have you even seen the gun Nigel's made for me? It's taller than you!"

"Ah'm sorry, alright?" Anderson said, hugging the teenage girl. "Ah can' 'elp but think o' ya as ae lil girl. Don' worry, one day, Ah'll grow outta it."

"That's the day that Sir Integra will make everyone breakfast in bed," Seras grumbled, curling into her blankets once again.

"Well, iffen ya do get bore', Ah'm sure that 'Pip', will be glad to help with tha'." As the girl sputtered out her denial at such a thing, Anderson left the room laughing loudly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: "Day Job"

"Christine, I love you!" he sang, the very chords shaking her to the core.

The young opera singer would not allow herself to be swayed by the beautiful baritone voice. Not anymore.

"_The tears I might have shed for your dark fate, grow cold and turn to tears of hate!_"she sang to the Phantom, who held the rope that with a tug would hang her true lover, Raoul.

"I grow tired of these games," the Phantom said with a tug, causing Raoul to gag for a moment. "Make your choice!"

Christine stepped into the watery pool, the water warm around her legs, and she walked towards the Phantom. Under the fine suit, the cloak, and the white mask covering half his face, his undead heart felt like it was tearing in two.

"_Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you know? God give me courage to show you you're not alone_," Christine sang, closing the last few feet between them, and kissed the Phantom.

For so long he had dreamed of that moment, her soft body, smooth lips against his own. He became passionate, ignoring everything, even the hand that reached behind her back for something...

_STAB!_ He stumbled backwards, looking down at the wooden stake protruding from his chest. Blood was already spreading from the wound. He looked up at her, who was now untangling her lover from his bonds.

"Christine...?" he asked quietly, stunned, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He looked back up at her, waiting to see her smiling, saying it was just a joke, of course she loved him, of course she chose him...

Falling to his knees in the water, which was now gaining a red tint, the Phantom watched his whole world, Christine Daae, sailing away in the arms of another lover. "Christine..." he moaned, his vision becoming redder as bloody tears dripped down his face. The betrayal hurt so much more than the wood in his heart, a few strangling sobs escaping him before the vampire's form lay still in the pool.

Anderson jerked awake a few moments later, accidentally falling asleep on the helicopter to his "job". He shook his head a few times to clear the sleep from his mind...and the tears trying to drip from his eyes. That had been a real tearjerker dream, but why did he have to have such strange ones? And why was he even shedding tears for a _vampire_? Not even remotely qualified to understand or pretend to understand dreams, the Paladin simply wiped away the tears and got himself into the killing mindset.

The pilots stopped over a thick forest, and Anderson made the usual arrangements with them. He had 12 hours to do his job and be back here for the ride home. "Don' be late," they told him. He winked at them before jumping out of the chopper a good twenty feet over the ground. He landed and rolled a few feet before jumping up and disappearing into the forest. The chopper flew off, and all returned to quiet daytime. It was early morning, the sun's rays bright with promise for the day. The perfect time to go vampire hunting.

Anderson moved quickly, his long legs making short work of the miles to the old warehouse were the "den" was. If someone had seen him, his fatherhood was shown clearly. Black boots thudded through the underbrush. Gray trousers and jacket allowed him to blend in at dusk, but his priest's collar could be seen, as well as the cross hanging over his chest. His overcoat was gray as well, with a purple trim, and it quietly flapped behind him. The spark of bloodlust was in his jade eyes. At home, he was caring and cheerful. On the battlefield, however, he reveled in blood and death.

A few hours later, he had to pass through a small town to get to the warehouse, and he earned more than a few curious but respected bows for the cross he wore. "Good day, Father," a woman said as she walked by, and he returned her friendly smile. "Go with God, chil'," he said politely.

It was midday when the vegetation-covered warehouse came into view. Boards and planks were falling off or hanging from a nail or two. Anderson, with a smile that could shame the Cheshire Cat, pulled out two of his blessed bayonets, and broke down the poor excuse for a door. "Ah jist let meself in."

The warehouse was a single open room, and in the furthest corner where perhaps a dozen coffins, their occupants unaware of the danger just across the room. The room was dark, no lights or windows anywhere, but Anderson could smell the death and decay in the room. He wasn't startled when the growls started, or when dozens of glowing purple eyes turned to his direction. Ghouls filled the room, a few dozen, maybe more. The poor remnants of deflowered humans who had been bitten by the vampires became ghouls, slaves no better than zombies. Anderson simply smiled when the horde turned to him. He struck the swords together, the sparks from the grinding metal lighting up his maniacal smile of bloodlust. "In th' name of the Father, the Son, an' the Holy Ghost," he said as he cut down the first ghoul. "Ahmen!"

When the helicopter returned a little past sunset, Anderson was sitting on a stump of a tree, clothes a little worse for wear but otherwise unharmed. Well, any injuries he might have sustained had already healed. The helicopter landed, kicking up all sorts of leaves, dirt and other debris, making Alex raise his arms to shield his eyes, so when the figure leapt from a tree onto his back, he was caught off-guard.

The vampire had somehow survived the agent's slaughter and wanted revenge. His long claws dug into Alex's back, his arms, everywhere as he tried to bite the man's neck. Alex swung around like a bull, cursing and roaring, trying to get the monster off of him. With a final snarl, he reached up, grabbed the vampire's shirt collar, and hauled him over his head onto the nearby tree stump. SNAP! The vampire screeched as his spine broke like a twig. Alex quickly sliced it's head off with his sword, but he couldn't stop his pounding heart. That had been too close.

The pilots took off as soon as one of his feet hit the floor. He didn't mind the quick jump he had to do; if he didn't do this for a living, he'd probably be scared out of his mind right then as well. Kissing the cross around his neck, he fantasized about the warm shower waiting for him back and headquarters.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: "Future Possibilities"

Upon his return, Alex went right to Integra and reported that the vampires were dead and their bodies properly disposed of. He didn't mention the last vampire's attack; he figured he didn't need her disapproving scowl at the moment. After that, he went into the shower, the warm water like heaven, washing away the sweat, blood, dirt, and death from his body.

He came out of the bathroom to find Seras laying on his bed in her normal Hellsing uniform, a light-brown jacket and skirt/short combination, brown gloves, and boots with white stockings that came up to her thighs. He would have berated her on the intrusion-what if he had come out with any clothes on?- but he was too tired. Besides, he had his pants on, though he was shirtless, so he was decent. On the bedside table was a tray with a glass of water, a chipped ceramic bowl of stew, and some crusty bread. One whiff of the food and he realized just how famished he was.

"I'm guessing the mission went well?" Seras asked, eyeing him carefully as he placed his coat on the back of a chair. "Oh, Alex, your back!" she said with dismay. Though he was a Regenerator, scratches from vampires always left scars on his body. From her tone, he guessed he was sporting a few more.

"It's fine," he said, sitting beside her, waving away her concern. "How was yer day?" he asked, balancing the tray on his lap and ate his warm meal.

"Took out a vampire in the main city," Seras said with a grin. "600 meters, running along the rooftops; got in right in the heart!" She beamed with pride. Being a vampire guaranteed her perfect sniping abilities, but she couldn't help but light up at her skills. Many of the other people in the organization would have been scared of her, but she was so cheerful and happy that many forgot that her diet consisted of medical blood. Only when she was extremely angry did one have to worry about their lifespan.

Alex downed the glass of water in two gulps and could already feel a little better. "No casualties, aye?"

"Everyone's fit and fine. In fact, no one's gotten hurt in a long time. It's almost as though that, even though we're not as strong as them, they've forgotten it, and we can kill 'em very easily without anyone getting hurt. It's strange." Seras did not seem to realize she had referred to herself as human once again.

"Ah'm glad to hear it," he said. There was a silence for a moment, before Seras jumped up, saying "Oh! Sir Integra wants to see you in her office ASAP."

"Alright then." At least she had waited until he had a little food in him. Alex finished up his food, gave Seras his tray to return to the kitchens, and quickly threw on his shirt and boots before making his way down the numerous wooden corridors to the small office.

Behind a small desk sat Integra, now wearing her black two-piece suit with red tie, a silver cross tie-clip on it. A cigar hung from her mouth, small wisps of smoke coming from it. Alex hated the smell of cigars, but he never said anything to her; he knew it was one of the few ties to her old life she still had.

Integra had been raised among English royalty, her organization the one in charge of protecting the Queen and England. Now she was here, having moved her entire operations to an abandoned opera house on the edge of the city after the Hellsing estate had been attacked. She was still used to having someone else light her cigars for her, but she was becoming more and more used to the idea of independence every day.

"Alexander?" He looked up to see her staring at him. "Sorry," he mumbled, realizing he must have been staring into space. "Jist thinkin' aboot the pas'."

"A favorite pastime for those who remember the world before the Undead War," Integra said. It was during that war, a war between Nazi vampires and humans, that had cost Integra her home and forced her into hiding.

"Ya wishe' to see me," Anderson reminded her as he stood in the door. Though it was a large office, bigger than many of the other rooms in the whole building, it was miniscule in comparison to her old one.

"Yes. I wonder, what are you going to do if we do eradicate all the vampires from our world?"

Anderson raised an eyebrow at the question. "Tha's a bold statement, even from ya, Sir Integra. Werewolves could always be our next target, I suppose."

"I mean after we become the dominant life forms once this planet once again, Alexander," Integra said seriously, hands folded as she bored into him with her icy eyes.

"Iffen yer askin' if Ah'll be leavin', then no. Ah like it 'ere, surprisingly, even with the company," he said with a chuckle. Not only was he referring to the many mercenaries that made up Hellsing's numbers, but also the fact that Integra was Protestant, and he Catholic. It was a wonder they even got along, but he ignored that fact, and so did she. It was an unspoken agreement to disagree on the matter. "Why th' sudden concern?"

"I ask because there's a good chance it'll become true." Integra spoke with her usual air of confidence, and leaned back in her chair, hands folded in her lap. He almost expected her to put her feet up on the desk, but she was still English, so she still had manners.

"We've just received word from London that its a clean zone," Integra continued. "Of course, that can't be guaranteed, but there's a chance we can return to the city."

"Really now? Are ya considerin' it, then?"

"Of course. After all, this was only a temporary situation at best."

"Ah dunno," Anderson said, stroking his stubbly chin, as though in deep thought. "Ah mean, your house was attacked 'ow many times?"

"Twice," Integra said through gritted teeth. That was one thing she did not need to be reminded of. Ever.

"Exac'ly. Ah hate to say it, but this place is ae better headq'arters by many stretches o' the 'magination."

"Stop being spiteful, Alex. You're only saying that because this place reminds you of your dorms at the Vatican." Integra smirked, thinking she had hit a sore spot for the former priest. Baiting her underlings was a hobby of hers.

The big man shrugged, not wishing to fall into her trap, or into an argument. "Say whit ya want, but Ah've said me piece aboo'tit, and let it be the end o' it."

Integra's smirk lessened. She hated it when her toys didn't play along. "Fine. That'll be all. And Alex," she said as he turned to leave. "Try to get _some _sleep tonight, understand?"

Anderson grinned. "Of course, Sir Integra. You too," he said as he left.


End file.
